Chapter 1: The Miserable Transmigration

  When looking at a person's appearance, the main focus is on their facial features, figure and skin. However, when it comes to determining whether someone has charm and depth, the eyes are the key. A single glance can reveal a person's inner world, and this is often the most authentic reflection of themselves. It cannot be denied that there are people in this world who only need one glance to express everything they want to convey.

  There is no doubt that Cui Ruxiang was such a person.

  She cheerfully entered Choi Yeon-soo's room, and as she stepped across the threshold, the smile on her face slowly solidified. In broad daylight, a man and woman were alone in a room...

  There's an affair! Cui Ruxue suddenly thought of these three big words, but she immediately shook her head and wondered why she would think that. Nianshu and Jiang Xia had known each other before, and the two had already been interested in each other. It was me...

  As soon as she thought of this, Cui Ruxue immediately realized that she was the one who had inserted herself between Nian Nu and Jiang Xia. So, Cui Ruxue's gaze towards Nian Nu carried a hint of guilt, while her gaze towards Jiang Xia was filled with deep resentment.

  What's hardest to bear is a beauty's favor. When the fierce tigress was tamed and became a gentle little white rabbit, when the wild girl who would fight at the drop of a hat became a melancholy lady, Jiang Xia suddenly found himself unable to cope. If it were a contest of verbal sparring or martial arts, Jiang Xia wasn't afraid of Cui Ruzhang at all. But once he encountered a beauty like Cui Ruzhang with a resentful gaze, Jiang Xia immediately became a useless waste with combat strength less than five, and was instantly defeated.

  The enemy is too powerful, a strategic shift must be made. Jiang Xia secretly said to himself, then immediately stood up and said to Cui Nianslave: "Ah, today is actually your birthday? How come you didn't tell me, wait for a moment, I'll go out and pick a gift for you, at most an hour and I'll be back."

  "Brother Jiang, don't..."

  Chui Nian Nu had not finished speaking when Jiang Xia slipped out of Chui Nian Nu's room.

  After leaving Cui Nian Nu's room, Jiang Xia indeed left the Xiangyang Mountain Villa as he said. Since coming to the Ming Dynasty, there have been few women who moved Jiang Xia's heart. Cui Nian Nu was the first, and Cui Ru Shuang could be considered the second.

  For a woman who has moved his heart, Jiang Xia would never be stingy, so he indeed prepared to buy a gift for Cui Nianshu.

  But thinking of Cui Nian Nu, he couldn't help but think of Cui Ru Shuang, whose melancholic eyes made his heart tremble with just one glance. Jiang Xia's thoughts sent shivers down his spine.

  As soon as he walked out of the gate of Xiangyang Mountain Villa, Jiang Xia headed east on the street, where silver towers and jade antique shops were concentrated. It was the most suitable place to buy gifts. Just two steps away, Jiang Xia suddenly heard a shout from behind: "Young man, please stop."

  Jiang Xia turned around to see an old man wearing a gray robe with a banner in his hand, on which was written "Iron Mouth Straight Cut" in four large characters. He seemed to be a fortune teller who wandered the rivers and lakes. The old man walked up to Jiang Xia's face with a smile, but what he said made Jiang Xia want to hit him: "Young man, I see that your yintang is dark, you must have a ominous sign on your body."

  "You're still wearing a bra, and on your body, there's not just a bra but also two big waves." Jiang Xia said with a roll of her eyes.

  The old man smiled slightly, and in response to Jiang Xia's retort and anger, he shook his head and said: "With talent in one's belly, one naturally becomes proud. A tall tree branch is easily uprooted. There is neither good nor evil, only what brings joy and freedom to the heart."

  An old man recited a poem in a low voice, and Jiang Xia, who was originally about to turn around and leave, stopped in his tracks. He turned back and took a closer look at the old man, with his sharp eyesight, he could tell that this old man was not ordinary.

  At first glance, the old man was dressed very ordinarily, wearing a simple linen robe and a pair of cloth shoes. However, Jiang Xia felt a faint sense of pressure emanating from him. This pressure was formed by an intense aura of majesty, which could only be developed by someone who had been in a high position for many years, accustomed to giving orders and commands. How could such an old man possibly roam the streets telling fortunes?

  Here is the translation:

  "Next is that poem, the poem's meaning is not profound, it's easy to understand. The first sentence says that Jiang Xia is a talented person, so he can't help but have some arrogance. It's precisely because of this arrogance that his actions often exceed expectations and create a situation where he stands out from the crowd and suffers setbacks. The third and fourth sentences say that he completes good and evil according to his own mood, without any real intention of good or evil, everything he does is just for himself to live freely and at ease."

  Jiang Xia had to admit, this old man was quite accurate. The two of them didn't know each other before, how could they understand each other's language?

  Jiang Xia smiled and said to the old man, "You're quite impressive, you have some skills. Now, tell me about my recent fortune and marriage prospects. I'm warning you in advance, if what you say isn't accurate, I won't pay a single silver coin."

  The old man nodded, stroking his chin whiskers lightly, and said with a profound expression: "If I haven't calculated wrongly, your recent fortune is quite good, it should be the sign of 'daily advancement in wealth'. However, as for marriage, it's probably not satisfactory, not that it's weak, but rather too strong. Matters of marriage, if just right, are called 'Peach Blossom Luck', but if they're overly frequent, then it's called 'Peach Blossom Calamity'."

  "Awesome." Jiang Xia suddenly felt a bit of admiration, and his gaze towards the old man also became more serious.

  When Jiang Xia was still the leader of Qianmen, he had contact with several top masters in the Xuanmen. The Chinese Xuanmen is vast and profound, and those who have truly entered the door are indeed different from ordinary people. Finding dragons and pointing to acupuncture points, divining fate and fortune-telling are their specialties.

  The old man's words hit the nail on the head, Jiang Xia's recent wealth and fortune have been smooth, and there is also a peach blossom calamity. It was relatively easy to say that before, because he came from the Xianyao Mountain Villa, wearing luxurious clothes and adorned with precious jade accessories. But saying that Jiang Xia has a peach blossom calamity is not so simple.

  Jiang Xia knew he had met a superior person today. He bowed to the old man and said, "Earlier, I was rude. I hope you won't blame me for it."

  The old man waved his hand and said, "Never mind. You asked me two questions, I just so happen to have one question for you."

  "Please go on, sir."

  "One day, you are the general defending a city, responsible for protecting the safety of hundreds of thousands of citizens. Unexpectedly, a strong enemy attacks, driving refugees outside the city to the gate with bows and arrows, forcing them to come and destroy the gate."

  At this moment, you have three options. The first is to open the city gate and let the people in, but this will easily give the enemy an opportunity to enter the city. The second is to shoot arrows to stop the people from advancing, so as not to damage the city gate. As for the third option, it is to do nothing and let the people come to the foot of the city wall to destroy the city gate. Which one will you choose?

  Jiang Xia was taken aback for a moment. He looked at the old man and couldn't understand why he was asking him these questions.

  It is clear that all three options have their limitations, and different choices correspond to different personalities. The first one is kind-hearted but indecisive, lacking a broad perspective and decision-making power, making it difficult to achieve great things. The second one is bold and decisive, knowing what to take and what to give up, but also too ruthless. He is destined to be a dangerous and formidable figure, someone that everyone should guard against. The third one is completely evasive, lacking the courage to make decisions. Such a person is simply a useless burden.

  The old man looked at Jiang Xia, his eyes shining with a sharp light. He was not an ordinary person, and he had come today not to tell Jiang Xia's fortune, but to test this young man out. The question he had just asked, his own master had once asked him too. He still remembered that back then, his answer was the second option, to shoot arrows to kill and force the civilians to retreat no longer. Because he thought that only by doing so could he keep safe the hundreds of thousands of civilians in the city.

  Give up small benefits to gain big ones. He struggled for more than three hours before he could answer this question, and after he answered it, his teacher told him that he had the potential to become a chief minister second only to the emperor.

  Nowadays, he has indeed fulfilled his teacher's words, and he is really the current Prime Minister. That's right, this old man is... Li Dongyang.

  Li Dongyang gazed intently at Jiang Xia. In his heart, he hoped that Jiang Xia would choose the first option, as this would prove that Jiang Xia was not inherently bad, and even if he had any ideas in the future, they would be difficult to achieve. He worried that Jiang Xia would choose the second option, because then he would have to carefully guard against Jiang Xia, or take advantage of Jiang Xia's youth and inexperience to eliminate him first. As for the third option, Li Dongyang knew that Jiang Xia would never make such a choice.

  Jiang Xia looked at Li Dongyang with a puzzled expression and smiled: "Sir, I don't quite understand, why must there only be these three options?"

  Li Dongyang's expression changed slightly as he exclaimed in surprise: "Could it be that you have another way to deal with this?"

  This time, Li Dongyang's expression finally changed. Driving civilians to break the city was a fierce killing move in itself. Even if it didn't succeed, it could greatly damage the enemy's morale. The commanders who had been defending the city were most afraid of this move. And this move was also the hardest to resolve.

  Jiang Xia looked at Li Dongyang and said, "Why not throw down a row of wooden barrels from the city gate tower, with ropes tied around them? Once those people get into the barrels, we can pull them up, so they won't be able to damage the city gate."

  In fact, Jiang Xia had another sentence that wasn't said. This method would definitely not save all the people, but it could give some people hope. As for those who didn't get rescued and went to destroy the city gate again, he could also shoot them with justification. Because... at that time, they were enemies.

  Li Dongyang stared blankly at Jiang Xia, he hadn't expected that Jiang Xia wouldn't choose any of the three options. And if Li Dongyang were to evaluate his own newly proposed method, then all he could say was that this person was a tyrant.

  The monarch has a heart that is bold and decisive, with laws that take into account the greater good. Using clever strategies to defeat sinister plots, even when killing people, it is done in a way that makes others admire and consent.

  At this moment, Li Dongyang's emphasis on Jiang Xia was raised again.